Despite concerns raised by religious leaders across the country, the Department of Health and Human Services has refused to allow an exemption for most religious employers who object to such “benefits.”

Sr. Mary Ann Walsh, director of media relations for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, observed that the mandate seemed unfairly targeted at Catholics and those with similar beliefs.

“The Amish have a conscientious objection to health insurance, and so the law exempts them from buying it,” she wrote in a Jan. 24 blog post.